


An Unexpected Confrontation

by Astronaut_Milky, tobeconspicuous



Series: Now and Then [3]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Carmen being sassy, Developing Relationship, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Rare Pairings, Secret Relationship, mentions of Trevor Langan, vague smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 10:57:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13339821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astronaut_Milky/pseuds/Astronaut_Milky, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeconspicuous/pseuds/tobeconspicuous
Summary: “Get off your high horse Rafael, we’re not here to talk about my relationships,” she tried to deflect.Her friend, of course, was having none of it. “Has he wormed his way under your skin? Into your heart?”“Like Trevor has?”





	An Unexpected Confrontation

**Author's Note:**

> This is set right in the middle of events in "An Unexpected Visitor".
> 
> Astronaut_Milky says "Welcome to Carhoun where the sex is filthy and the feels are unexpected. Also tobeconspicuous is a stunning gem of excellent ideas and brilliant banter so enjoy!"
> 
> Tobeconspicuous says "Astronaut_Milky is a queen for enabling and joining me on this wild ride. I hope you enjoy her beautiful words."
> 
> Many thanks to BarbaxCarisi for their wonderful support for acting as a beta for this fic.
> 
> We do not own, only enjoy, and we hope you do as well. Feedback is very much appreciated.

**Then**  

 

The room was dimly lit, one might say it was almost romantic. Almost.

There was something desperate about the way Sonny was kissing. Sweaty, open, relishing in the tongue licking into his mouth, the taste of bourbon on his lips. His hands gripped her hips, rubbing rough circles with his thumbs. Another woman would have asked him to be gentle. Another woman would be wishing him happy birthday with words. Sonny didn't want another woman.

He ground his hips against hers, letting her feel exactly how excited he was, how ready he was. Her hands gripping his neck dug in, the perfectly manicured nails providing the kind of pleasure that toed the line of pain perfectly.

He crowded her against the wall of her bedroom, though in heels she nearly towered over him. And he loved it. With biting kisses down her neck, his hands slowly sliding the thin straps of her dress down her shoulders. Her raspy, lustful breath in his ear had him moan into her neck, the scent of her perfume sending waves of desire through his body.

“What do you see in him?” her voice cut through the moment.

Still, he kept on his mission as best as he could.

“Who?” He nipped at her shoulder, causing her head to fall back, a shuddered breath leaving her perfect lips.

“Don't play coy, Detective. It doesn't suit you.” He groaned as he licked slowly up her neck. It really shouldn't turn him on so much, being near-insulted like that.

“Tell me,” he whispered over her ear, letting his breath and lips brush it slightly. The shiver that went through her body had him nearly shaking. “Who?”

“Barba.”

 _That_ certainly had him stopping in his tracks. He tried to continue, but his kisses were softer, tentative, as he tried to figure out what to say.

“I guess - I see him as a mentor. A reluctant mentor at that,” he confessed, his hands sliding up to her ribs, gripping, nearly pressing her into the wall.

“You don't look at him like a mentor.” And just like that, Sonny knew she wanted to talk about this.

He withdrew his lips from her clavicle, removed his hands from her sides to rest them against the wall, either side of her head. As much as this was to be a serious conversation, he couldn't bring himself to tear his hips from her own.

“Alright Rita, what's going on?” he asked, piercing her eyes with his. Somehow she looked so poised, so regal, which was a surprise considering he knew she was one finger away from begging for him. Well, less begging, more commanding him into action.

“Nothing,” she lied, poorly. He raised one eyebrow disbelievingly. “I just feel he takes advantage of you sometimes.”

At that, Sonny chuckled and leaned in close, letting his lips brush her ear once again.

“Fairly certain you’re the only lawyer who can take advantage of me,” he growled, loving the way her hips began to move against his, the way her hands slid down to his chest, nails digging in once again.

“I know what Rafael is like,” she breathed out, and Sonny had a flash of admiration that she was able to keep up this cross-examination as he ran a single finger down her chest. “He’s intelligent, but he’s an absolute dick. He’s-”

“Rita,” he cut her off, praying he didn’t sound petulant. “As much as I would love to hear your opinion on Barba, what I’d _really_ love is to spend the rest of my birthday inside you.”

Rita was a master at maintaining a perfect poker face, but the past few months of sleeping together had helped Sonny learn her tells. It was her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes with the most exquisite flecks of green, that gave her away. She could appear to be unnaturally neutral, but her eyes reflected exactly how she felt.

When he confessed his desires, he could see her concerns instantly disappear. Her stunning eyes widened, and darkened, and with just that alone he was hit with another wave of overwhelming lust for the older woman.

“Well I wouldn’t want to disappoint,” she whispered, her tongue slowly wetting her lips, a movement Sonny tracked obsessively. He knew exactly what that tongue could do, what those lips were capable of.

Before he could respond, Rita dropped to her knees, her eyes never leaving his. Her fingers made quick work of undoing his jeans, and even though Sonny was towering over her, his hands already entwined in her long, luscious hair, the look in her eyes reminded him that she had all the control.

\--

**Now**

Rita loathed visiting Rafael at his office, usually she preferred to meet on neutral grounds. After her conversation with Sonny the prior evening she couldn’t shake her shock, her anger. She was unable to comprehend how Rafael Barba, one of her closest friends for over a decade, could go two years without telling her he was in a relationship.

Like the force of nature she was, Rita stormed into One Hogan Place, past reception and straight into the elevator. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently as she was slowly carried to the prosecutor’s floor. Eventually the doors sprung open, she flew out of the elevator and down the hall to the prosecutor’s office.

Rafael’s assistant, Carmen, was sitting at her desk staring intently at her monitor whilst jotting down notes. Rita stood in front of her and waited impatiently for the woman to notice her.

“Ms. Calhoun,” she perfectly imitated her boss.

Rita cocked her brow, “Miss Noble.”

“How can I help you?” Her tone was polite and calm.

Rita refused to calm down. “Does Rafael have any appointments this afternoon?”

“Mr. Barba is very busy-”

“Cut the crap, Carmen,” Rita stared her down. “The ADA and I need to have a long overdue conversation and I would really appreciate it if you could ensure we won’t be interrupted.”

“Mr. Barba currently has no appointments this afternoon,” Rita appreciated that even under her glare that Carmen remained ever the professional.

“Thank you, Carmen,” Rita nodded with a satisfied smile. “And please, take the rest of the afternoon off.”

Carmen cocked her head to the side, her expression amused. “Thank you.”

Rita then stepped up to Rafael’s door, knocking once before letting herself in.

The ADA was leaning back in his chair, his legs up on his desk, one foot crossed over the other. He appeared to have a brief in one hand and a pretzel in the other. He popped it in his mouth which curled into a satisfied mouth as he chewed.

Rita scoffed before she strode over to his desk, the ADA’s eyes widened in surprise as she drew closer. “Rafael.”

“You’re not on my calendar for this afternoon, Rita,” the man said smoothly, clearly trying to cover his surprise. “So if you don’t mind-”

Rita pointedly sat down in the chair opposite his. “I spoke with Carmen, she says you’re schedule is clear for the afternoon.”

“I have plans outside of the office,” the man didn’t miss a beat.

“With Trevor Langan?” She raised a brow.

If her knowledge of his plans surprised him, he didn’t show it. Rafael had clearly decided to avoid having the conversation, “Not that it’s any of your concern, but yes.”

“Not my concern?” Rita scowled.

A smirk twisted the prosecutor’s mouth. “You haven’t concerned yourself with my relationship status since you dumped me during finals.”

“You were so stressed out, I couldn’t handle it, and stop deflecting.” Rita had known Rafael for far too long, and had argued with him far too often, she knew all of his tricks. “We hashed this out when you started dating Andrew McKinnon.”

A wistful look flitted across the ADA’s eyes. “He was ridiculously handsome… Too bad he was such a scumbag.”

“I still owe him a good kick in the balls for you,” Rita chuckled, now that the conversation was moving she was able to relax. She sank back into the chair with a satisfied smile.

“I’m pretty sure you delivered on that promise years ago,” Rafael looked as amused as he sounded.

“He married Courtney Danvers and reproduced,” Rita scoffed. “Clearly I didn’t kick him hard enough.”

“As fascinating as this is-”

Rita sighed, she looked her friend straight in the eye before continuing. “Rafael, just humor me.”

“Rita-”

“Cancel your plans with Trevor, come have a drink with me,” she pressed. “I think it’s time we have a long overdue conversation.”

Rafael smiled gently. “I agree, just give me a moment.”

Rafael pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it and sent several text messages. He pocketed the phone and looked back at Rita. “I’m assuming we’re heading to Forlini’s?”

“Obviously,” Rita smirked. “Follow me.”

Rita watched as Rafael gathered his things and put on a warm coat, actions that should have only taken moments were drawn out to tease, to annoy. As they left his office Rafael looked unsurprised to see that Carmen was no longer at her station. He just continued to walk towards the elevator. He pressed the button, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Rita caught a glimpse of Trevor’s name, her nosiness was rewarded with a glare from the prosecutor. Their silence continued during the elevator ride, through the lobby and out into the cool March air.

Rita knew her way to the restaurant as she knew the lines of her hands and the indescribable shade of Detective Carisi’s eyes. When they entered the restaurant and slid into a booth Rita didn’t miss the fond look and smile that played at Rafael’s mouth.

Rita waited until their drinks arrived before she decided to take aim. “I thought you were interested in Detective Carisi?”

“When did I ever give you that impression,” Rafael sounded genuinely surprised. “He’s definitely easy on the eyes, yes and if I was single I may have pursued him- wait? Why are you asking?”

“Rafael-”

Something clearly clicked in the back of the prosecutor’s mind, a sly smile spread across his face. Rita knew that look far too well. “Is that a touch of jealousy I hear? Are you and the detective-”

“Let’s not,” Rita took a sip of her Martini, the taste of gin and vermouth lingered on her tongue.

“Oh lets,” Rafael was enjoying himself far too much. “You always had an eye for younger women, I never thought that extended to younger men.”

“Get off your high horse Rafael, we’re not here to talk about my relationships,” she tried to deflect.

Her friend, of course, was having none of it. “Has he wormed his way under your skin? Into your heart?”

“Like Trevor has?” There was no point being subtle with the prosecutor, not when he thought he had the upper hand. “You always did have a thing for men who tower over you.When you first met him you thought he was the most boring attorney you had ever met.”

“My opinion has clearly changed,” Rafael rolled his eyes.

Rita tried not to look too smug. “And you’ve been dating for two-”

“Almost three.”

“Almost three years, and you didn’t think to mention that your opinion had changed?” Her voice started to shake and then she went quiet, unable to hide the hurt from her tone. “I thought we were friends.”

“We haven’t been friends for a long time,” Rafael said cooly, his voice trembled slightly.

“Rafael-”

As he continued his tone grew dark. “We did our time in corporate and we became ADA’s, that was always the plan.”

“That was _your_ plan, Rafael,” Rita winced. “Some of us wanted-”

“You got greedy,” his tone was bitter, final.

“Everyone’s entitled to a good defense, Rafael.” Rita was unable to hide her disappointment.

The prosecutor just scoffed at her. “No one can afford the rates you charge, Rita.”

“You know I do pro-bono cases, victim advocacy-”

“For family friends,” Rafael covered his smirk by taking a sip of his scotch.

Rita collected herself before she proceeded, “Isn’t Trevor a defense attorney? Doesn’t he defend men who screw employees out of pension plans?”

“Only while he was working at Hearn and Stead. Since he opened his own firm his cases have been more family friendly.” He took another sip of his scotch before he raised his brow silently signalling Rita to take her best shot.

“Enough, Rafael. What is really the issue here?” Rita downed her martini before slumping back into the booth. “The fact that I left the DA’s office, or the fact I left without telling you?”

“Rita-”

She pushed through, ignoring Rafael’s attempt to distract or placate her. “We’re not children anymore, I don’t want to spend my retirement years tiptoeing around you.”

“We’re a long way off retirement,” Rafael interjected.

But Rita was done, she had had enough. ‘It’s closer than you think.”

Rafael nodded, he took a deep breath before he emptied his scotch. He flagged down a member of the staff and ordered them both another drink before he continued. “I can be childish sometimes-”

“Sometimes?” Rita couldn’t help but chuckle at the exacerbated look he sent. “Continue.”

Rafael waited until their drinks were deposited before them before he did so. “I was upset because we made plans together, and then you decided to exclude me, to leave me. And I know it wasn’t personal, that we were having fun together, it’s just-”

Rita’s heart stuttered and a stray thought crossed her mind. “Please don’t tell me you’re in love with me-”

“Oh god no,” Rafael’s laugh melted whatever brief flash of terror that had gone through her. “I was always a little in love with the idea of growing old with you.”

“We can still grow old together-”

“I don’t want that-”

“You always knew how to break a girls heart,” Rita smiled.

“-with you.” Rafael paused. “I want that with Trevor…” Rita heard the sharp intake of breath before she noticed his eyes widen, as though the thought had only just crossed his mind. “I want to grow old with Trevor.”

“Are you only just realizing this now?” Rita asked quietly.

Rafael’s expression turned warm as a small smile began to bloom across his face. “You’ve always said I’m a fool.”

“That you are.” She couldn’t help but tease. “But a fool in love?”

“You have no idea, Rita,” She had never seen such a content expression on the prosecutor’s face. “He is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I fall asleep. He kisses me hello in the morning and goodnight in the evening, he ensures there’s always freshly brewed coffee at home. He always makes me feel safe, and protected. Even now my heart is warm and I feel almost giddy at just the thought of him.”

“Rafael-”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with him,” She watched as realization dawned on him.“I want to marry him.”

“Rafael?” A range of emotions crossed the prosecutor’s face. “Is everything alright?”

“I am an absolute fool at times,” he whispered.

Rita couldn’t help herself, she reached over and squeezed the man’s hand. “Normally I would agree with you but in this instance? You’re not. Just a man in love.”

“A normal fool then?” His breathy laugh surprised her.

“Precisely.” As she studied Rafael’s expression she couldn’t help but smile. “So, marriage?”

“Yes, marriage.”

“I never thought you’d consider it,” Rita said honestly.

Rafael looked at her with a fond expression and shook his head. “Neither did I.”

“When will you…”

“Propose?” Rafael barked out a laugh before he raised his scotch to his mouth and sipped. “Let me think about it first.”

“Well, congratulations,” Rita held her martini up before she followed her friend and took a sip of her cocktail. _Friend_ , somehow the word felt a little more right than it had before.

“Thank you,” he sounded as though he truly meant it.

They chatted amicably as they finished their drinks, their back and forth felt more easy, more natural than it had for a long time.

As she finished her martini Rita couldn’t help but ask, “Does Lucia at least like him?”

“What do you think?” Rafael cocked a brow.

Rita rolled her eyes, she was far too familiar with his tone. “Will I have to call her?”

“Please do,” Rafael raised his scotch and drained the remainder of the glass, a smirk played at his mouth. “I’m sure she’d love to hear about your latest boy toy.”

\--

**Then**

All Sonny could see as he came inside Rita, was perfect wide brown eyes, and flickering stars. His body shook and twitched with the pure pleasure coursing through him, her ankles still wrapped around his neck.

“Good boy,” she murmured, releasing her grip on his chest, only to gently stroke the scratch marks she had left behind. “Good boy.”

With every muttered praise, he shivered. She unwrapped her legs, letting them fall lazily either side of Sonny’s body as he collapsed on top of her. The gentle touches moved to his back, as they both fought to catch their breath.

“So he’s just a mentor, huh?”

Just like that, Sonny was pulled from the haze of his pleasure. “Rita, please. I’m still inside you, can you hold off on the interrogation till I at least pull out?”

He had hoped he could spend a little bit longer inside her, connected to every part of her, but on his final word she was shoving him off her body.

“Well?” she asked as his head hit the pillow.

He ran his hands over his face, groaning into his palms. “Rita, what do you want to know? This vague interrogation is going nowhere.”

She had been on her side, facing him, but as soon as he finished speaking, she rolled onto her back. He couldn’t even take the time to once again appreciate her stunning naked body, not with the tension in her eyes.

He opened his mouth to apologize, when she mumbled something incoherently.

“What was that?” he asked gently, leaning over her slightly. He used his fingers to softly turn her head, begging her eyes to meet his.

“You have a thing for him.”

There it was. The reason she had been acting weirdly all night. The ridiculous, almost hilarious reason. Before he could stop himself, he was laughing.

“‘A thing?’ Rita, come on. You can’t possibly believe that.”

Her eyes flashed, with something he now realized was jealousy. “I see the way you look at him. The longing stares, the way you run after him like a puppy. Every time he knocks you down, you still _fawn_ over him, like he’s-”

He cut off her rambling with a strong kiss, one that screamed for her to stop talking. When he pulled away, he placed two fingers over her lips, a request for her to remain silent.

“For starters, I have never wanted Barba. Do I think he’s hot? Absolutely. Do I think he’s a brilliant lawyer? Of course, although I do think you’re better.” She rolled her eyes, but his fingers were still on her lips so she didn’t voice her opinion. “Secondly, I have only ever wanted you, from the moment I met you. And lastly, he’s happily taken.”

He had hoped she would soften, relax, and maybe they could slip into a comfortable slumber. Instead her eyes flashed with a thousand and one emotions, too many for Sonny to pinpoint.

“He’s taken?” Her lips moved against his fingers, and he really tried to not picture how perfect her lips had looked wrapped around his length.

“Yep.”

“He’s taken.” No longer a question, a statement, as if she were trying to convince herself that what she heard was correct.

“Yeah, him and Langan.”

At that, she was sitting upright, her thoughts clearly racing. “Langan? Trevor Langan, you’re sure?”

He sat up next to her, pressing his lips to her shoulder. “Saw them at the precinct a while back. Apparently it’s been going on at least two years.”

She whipped her head towards him, shock and confusion plastered on her face.

“Two years? You’re joking.”

He shrugged. “Nope. You know Barba though, we wouldn’t even know it was his birthday if it wasn’t for Carmen’s memo last year.”

Sonny had hoped the joke would help his lover relax, but she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

“Why wouldn’t he tell me?” she finally whispered. Sonny froze. Their relationship had never been this. They didn’t really talk about emotions or problems. They talked law and their careers and sex. But here was Rita Calhoun, exposing herself more than she ever had before.

“Hey,” he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. He had expected her to flinch away, or push him away. Instead she leaned into the comfort. “It’s not you. I’m sure if it were up to him, none of us would have known.”

She nodded into his chest, and he was certain she didn’t believe him, but this wasn’t for him to fix.

With not another word, he lowered them down until they were laying flat against the sheets, his arms wrapped around her, her face buried into his chest.

They laid there for what felt like hours, holding each other, silent.

“Thank you,” she finally mumbled against his chest. He felt his heart race, nervous and excited over what this meant for them.

He had always wanted whatever Rita was willing to offer him, and in the moment he hoped that this was the catalyst to move forward in their relationship.

But now was not the time to discuss it. Now was the time to be there for Rita.

“Anytime,” he whispered, pressing the most gentle of kisses to her forehead. When he felt her smile against his neck, he was certain that was the greatest birthday present of all.  



End file.
